Her personal care bear
by A-Karana
Summary: She is sick and he takes care of her... just as a colleague. At least that's what he tells himself


Title: Her personal care bear  
Author: Akarana  
Rating: PG  
Prompt: Cam/Hodgins - sick- teddy bear  
Character(s)/ship: Cam/Hodgins  
Summary: uhm...pretty dull: She is sick and he takes care of her

So, for those who read "Never a dull moment": last chapter is up, you should go and read it first ;)  
Then I'd like to whine a bit because now that I wrote this, thinking back about a year ago when I actually really was this sick, I am now sick again, though not that bad (yet).

Last but not least thanks to Kim for her super-fast betaing.

Ok, here we go and I hope whoever posted the prompt likes the story...

He wasn't really sure what he was doing there, but now that he was standing in front of the door it wasn't really logical to turn around and go again. He rang the bell again and waited for the third time, hoping that someone would open the door. Nervously he stuck his hands in his jeans pockets and rolled back forth on his feet. He knew she was home though; he had been the one who had taken the call in the morning at the Institute. He had barely recognized her on the phone because her voice had been so hoarse and shaky and he still wondered why she had called him and not Brennan who stood directly under her in the food chain. It was her first sick day since he knew her and that alone was reason enough for him to worry. He had seen her at the lab with a cold, with a fever, a broken hand and after countless sleepless nights when she had barely been able to keep her eyes open. She had always come to work and sometimes he had a bad conscience about staying at home when he had a simple headache. So knowing that she had stayed at home willingly must mean that she really wasn't feeling well and he didn't like the thought of her being alone all day. He knew that she was too proud to ask someone at the lab for help, even if she needed it and he doubted that she would call her father or her sister and ask either of them to look after her.  
Again she didn't answer the door and he became worried.  
He looked at the wooden door and thought about kicking it in. However she would most likely kill him for it as long as she was still breathing. He knocked this time, at first lightly then harder, stopped when he heard something from inside, but the door remained closed. He looked down to his feet and saw the doormat he was standing on. She wouldn't, or…? He lifted one edge up and shook his head when he really found a key underneath. Wasn't she from the Bronx? She should know that it wasn't safe to keep a spare key under the doormat. Not really sure if he was doing the right thing he unlocked the door und lurked inside.

"Hello? Cam?" he called out and listened for any kind of response, which he got in the form of a loud crash. Without thinking about it he hurried in the direction of the sound, found himself walking through the corridor into Cam's bedroom and into the bathroom that was connected to it. The bedroom and the bathroom were dark, the blinds drawn, but still he could make out Cam's form on the bathroom floor. He switched on the light before he kneeled down beside her. She was leaning against the bathtub, her legs stretched out in front of her. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt and light blue shorts, her forehead was sweaty, her eyes closed and her face pale. What made it worse was that several items were spread all over the bathroom floor because a shelf had obviously just fallen over.

"You ok? What happened?" he asked her worriedly and placed a hand on her shoulder, was shocked when he felt her muscles trembling under the wet damp shirt.

"Wanted to get up, the shelf…" she croaked and was stopped by a coughing fit. Hodgins scrunched up his face when he heard her cough. He wasn't a doctor, but that didn't sound good.

"Come on, I'll help you up," he said and took her hands in his to pull her off the floor. She was shaking violently in the effort to get up and he was afraid she would collapse. Without further notice he lifted her up what made her groan and he carried her out of the bathroom. "You're burning up but you have ice cold hands," he told her and carefully placed her on the bed before he pulled the covers back for her and tucked her in.

"I'm sick," she said through clenched teeth and without opening her eyes. He got the notice, hurried off into the bathroom and came back a few seconds later with a bowl that would have to do for the moment. She opened her eyes when he handed her the bowl but she didn't approve. "Bathroom," she requested and made an attempt to sit up.

"No, no, no, you stay here. I don't want you to collapse in the bathroom again; I have to get all that crap off the bathroom floor first anyway. I don't want you to step on anything and hurt yourself," he told her and held her back by her shoulders. "But first; Do you have any meds here you can take?" he asked her.

"Bathroom," she croaked again and he nodded.

"Ok, I'll see what I can find. Have you eaten anything today?" he asked her then and made her groan in answer and she seemed to concentrate on what he guessed, was not throwing up. "Guess that's a no. You need to at least drink something though. I'm gonna make you some tea," he decided and stroked an errand strand of hair from her sweaty forehead. "You stay here and behave, I'll be back in a minute," he said then, got off her bed and walked out the bedroom and into the kitchen. He had been in her apartment only two times before, but it was enough to at least know where he could find which room, the rest he would just have to look for. He opened several cupboard doors before he found the right one with the tea. He filled the water heater and took a cup out and placed it on the breakfast tray he had found. While the water heated up he went back into the bathroom, quickly checked on her when he walked through her bedroom and found her curled up under her blanket, which shook slightly. Her overall condition worried him and he knew he had to find those meds, a thermometer and if nothing helped, a doctor would have to come over.  
First he pulled up the bamboo shelf and placed it back against the wall. Then he picked up the towels and put them back on the shelf before he picked up the several small items. Lipsticks, hair-bands, tampons, perfume and hairpins were strewn all over the floor. In between the chaos he found a thermometer, which he kept in his hand before he opened the medicine cabinet on the wall. While it had been strange to pick up his bosses tampons and hygienic pads off the floor it was plain out weird to go through her medicine cabinet where contraceptive pills and condoms were stored. Then again she was also a friend, a very attractive one and he had lived with women before so it wasn't like this was all new to him. Not that he intended to live with Cam… He found some cough syrup and Tylenol and took that out with him as well. He left the light on in the bathroom so he didn't have to switch on the light in the bedroom, knowing that she most likely had an awful headache.  
He sat down on the edge of the bed and softly stroked over her arm that was outlined under the covers.

"Hey, you have to take the meds I found," he told her and saw that she opened her eyes at least. They were glassy and lighter in color than normally. The spark that was usually present was missing and it hurt him seeing her this weak. Slowly she rolled onto her back without protest or without asking him what he was doing there. He knew that if she would feel better she would have asked questions already, or most likely would have sent him back to work. That she didn't was very telling about how bad she was really feeling. He poured some water in a glass that was standing on her nightstand and handed her two Tylenol pills. Her hands were shaking so badly that she wasn't really able to hold the glass, so he helped her by holding the glass against her lips. With his thumb he wiped the drop of water that escaped away from her chin and then handed her the plastic cup with the cough syrup in. Again he helped her and made her drink some water again after she had taken the medicine.

"You're ok for now or do you need anything else?" he asked her and looked into her glassy eyes.

"I'm so cold," she replied barely audible and he nodded.

"I'm making you some tea. But we should take your temperature first before I give you a warming bottle. I think it's the fever that's making you think you're cold," he replied softly and she nodded slightly and closed her eyes. He took the thermometer from her nightstand and read through the instructions because he hadn't seen a thermometer like that before. When he was done he pressed the "on" button and carefully put the thermometer in Cam's ear. She didn't react in any way and he used the time the thermometer took to study her. She looked somehow small in that huge bed with the light blue covers, her hair was fanned out on the pillow and her face pale and sweaty. She looked so vulnerable that he had to fight the urge to give her a hug, but then the beeping sound brought him back to reality.

"Oh shit," he said when he saw the numbers, his forehead wrinkled with worry.

"What?" she croaked and opened her eyes.

"103.7, that's not good," he averted. Cam tried to give him a smile, but it wasn't really working, her lips were trembling and it looked more like a grimace.

"I feel like crap," she admitted quietly and her eyes filled with tears what seemed to embarrass her. She closed her eyes again to keep the tears from escaping, but one did anyway and rolled slowly over her cheek.

"Hey, hey, you're gonna be ok in no time. Dr. Hodgins will take care of you," he told her and was relieved when she managed a shaky smile this time, while he wiped the tear off and stroked over her cheek. "You're still cold?" he asked.

"Freezing," she replied with some effort.

"I'm gonna get your tea, I'll be right back," he told her, squeezed her hand for a second and hurried back into the kitchen. He went through her cupboards again and found the honey, which he added to the fennel tea. He couldn't say that he was too fond of fennel tea himself, but he knew that fennel was good when one was sick. He squeezed some lemon juice in the tea and then walked back into the bedroom with the tray. Her teeth were clattering by now and her whole body seemed to shake which wasn't a good sign. He poured some tea in the cup, twirled it around a bit so it would cool down and brought the cup to her lips. Slowly she sipped the tea, however not without scrunching up her face. Hodgins smiled at her display of disapproval and poured some more tea in the cup when it was empty. Halfway through the next cup she refused to drink more by just turning her head to the side.

"You want me to bring you another blanket?" he asked and pulled the cover tighter around her like a cocoon and hovered over her. He interpreted the groan that followed as a no and saw her curling up on her side once again. "You go to sleep, I'll be right here," he told her quietly. She sighed heavily at his words and he brought his left hand up to her head and slowly stroked over her hair, massaged her skull, hoping it would lull her to sleep. After minutes he could feel her breathing deepen and calm and knew she was asleep. He stroked over her hair again to smooth it before he quietly walked out of her bedroom, switching the light off in the bathroom on his way to the living room. He sat down on the couch, took off his shoes and his jacket and looked around the room, saw several tissue balls on the table, a blanket on the armchair and nasal spray on the floor. Cam was usually the neatest person he knew and this chaos was just another indication of how sick she really was. The number 103.7 was still burned in his brain and he couldn't help but worry. He had no experience with taking care of sick friends or family. That's when he remembered that he should maybe call the Jeffersonian and tell them he wouldn't come back after his lunch break. He took his phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed Angela's number at the lab while he started to clean up the living room.

"Hey Jack," he heard Angela answer her phone.

"Hi Ange! Listen, I won't be back today at work," he told her and threw the tissues in the trash.

"Oh, did something come up while you were at Cam's?" she asked, knowing that he had planned to check on their boss.

"It's Cam, I can't leave her alone here. She's sick, like really, really sick. I think I maybe should call a doctor or something," he told her worriedly.

"Oh poor thing, what's wrong with her?" the artist wanted to know.

"She was stranded in the bathroom when I got here and couldn't get up. She's coughing and she's burning up. 103.7 to be exact. I am not sure what else she has because she can barely talk and mostly communicates with groans," he summed up the state Cam was in.

"That sounds really bad Jack. Did she take anything?" Angela asked worriedly.

"I made her take Tylenol and Mucosolvan, I am not sure that'll be enough though," he sighed and rubbed with one hand over his face.

"Maybe you should try cold compresses if the fever won't go down," Angela advised.

"Hadn't thought of that yet. I should let her sleep for now though and when she wakes up she needs to eat something," he replied, not really comfortable with the thought that he should wrap cold, wet compresses around Cam's body.

"You know how to make chicken soup? My dad always made chicken soup for me when I was sick as a kid," Angela replied a bit wistful.

"Yeah, after he went out and killed the chicken with his bare hands, no doubt," he replied and they both laughed. "But it's a good idea, I'll see what I can do. You tell Brennan I won't be in today?" he asked.

"Sure, and tell Cam I hope she feels better soon," Angela replied.

"I will. Bye," he said and hung up. Chicken soup was a good idea, he had to admit that. Surely, neither his mother nor his father had ever cooked chicken soup for him, but he could do that, he knew how to cook and maybe it would help Cam to get better. He went into her kitchen and checked her fridge, but found nothing but a few pieces of cold pizza, two cans of beer and some cheese. That meant that with or without chicken soup he had to go out and buy groceries because he couldn't work with that. He checked on Cam and when he found her still sleeping he took the key to her apartment and left to buy some groceries.

He didn't know the neighborhood where Cam lived too well, so he drove back to his own neighborhood so he knew what he was buying. Pesticide free vegetables and fruits, a happy but dead chicken, fresh bread, some crackers and some bottles of coke came to the apartment with him and in the end he had needed a lot more time than he had thought.

When he unlocked the door he already heard her and knew that something wasn't right at all. He put the bags with the groceries on the floor in the hallway and hurried into the bedroom, but found the bed empty. Again he found her in the bathroom, this time hunched over the toilet, heavily retching.

"What are you doing here?" he asked softly and crouched down next to her and stroked over her back. With her right hand she tried to push him away so he would leave her alone, but he didn't budge an inch. "I'm the bug and slime guy, remember. I've seen worse," he told her with a shrug, knowing she was most likely embarrassed that he saw her throwing up. When he saw that her long hair was getting in the way he pulled it back with one hand and grabbed a hair-band from the shelf with the other. He had tidied up the room before so he knew where he had put her things, which helped him now. He had more trouble though pulling her hair up with the band but managed in the end. Cam seemed to calm down and he just wanted to ask her if he should bring her back to the bedroom when she started retching again. There was nothing left in her stomach, but she didn't seem able to stop. He wasn't really sure what to do and so he kept rubbing circles on her back and waited for her to calm down.  
After fifteen minutes she seemed to calm down and when she slowly sat down on the bathroom floor and he could see her face he saw that she looked even worse now. She was even paler, which he hadn't thought was possible, and her eyes were bloodshot and tears rolling down her face. He didn't want to upset her more by making small talk and so he just stood up, took the glass that was resting on the sink, filled it with water and just a drop of mouthwash and then crouched down beside her again.

"Rinse," he told her and brought the glass to her lips. Obediently she sipped and rinsed her mouth and he held the glass under her mouth again so she could spit it out again. Without asking he wetted a washcloth and carefully washed her face with it, while she still sat trembling on the floor.

"Still sick? Do you have to throw up again?" he asked her.

"Mhhmm," she made and he understood that she was still so sick she couldn't even speak.

"Ok, I'm gonna pick you up now and carry you back to the bed, where the bowl still is. I don't want you sitting here on the cold floor any longer," he said and then slowly picked her up so he wouldn't upset her stomach again. He placed her down on the bed just as carefully, but it was in vain, because he had just enough time to grab the bowl when she started vomiting once again.  
Exhausted she fell back against the pillows when she was done and once again he fetched a washcloth and some mouthwash for her and rinsed the bowl while he was in the bathroom.

"How many times did you throw up while I was gone?" he asked when she had calmed down. She barely shrugged in response. "Ok, I rephrase: For how long have you been throwing up?" he said.

"An hour, maybe," she replied toneless and immediately started retching again.

"This is not normal," he decided and remembered that he had seen a pharmacy down the street and he needed help. "You will stay right here, no more trips to the bathroom, I'll be back in a second," he told her, picked up the key once again and sprinted the few blocks down to the pharmacy. Breathless he stepped inside and had to take a few deep breaths before he was able to speak.

"A friend of mine is sick and she is throwing up constantly although her stomach is empty. I need something to calm her stomach," he told the woman behind the counter frantically.

"Do you know why she is sick? Did she eat something wrong, is she pregnant, did she take medicine or is it just a bug?" she asked.

"She has a cold and I gave her Tylenol and Mucosolvan against the fever and the cough," he replied.

"Did she eat before she took the meds?"

"I don't think so. When I got to her place she was already in the bathroom, so I guess she had been throwing up already," he said.

"It's possible that the meds have upset her stomach further. I'll give you something now that doesn't taste good, but it'll help. Give her one spoon now and then one spoon before every meal for the next two days. Once she has taken it she should stop throwing up very soon. But please, if she isn't better this evening you should go and see a doctor," the woman instructed, left him for a second and then came back with a brown bottle. Hodgins thanked her, paid and hurried back to Cam's apartment.

She was throwing up again when he entered and this time she had stayed in bed, but was openly crying now out of sheer exhaustion and frustration. He sat down at the edge of the bed and rubbed her back again, handing her water and mouthwash again once she was done. Then he opened the bottle, poured the light pink liquid on a spoon and wrinkled his nose when the smell of licorice hit his nostrils.

"Here, take this, it'll help your stomach," he said and his heart melted when he saw the thick tears on her cheeks. She just sniffed and turned her head away, but this wasn't debatable. "Come on, open up," he coaxed and finally she gave in and swallowed with a weak groan. "See, that wasn't too bad," he said and placed the spoon on the night table beside him while he pulled her close to him with his right arm. She slumped against him and he held her, felt her tears on his shirt. "You'll feel better soon and then you can boss me around again," he said soothingly and hugged her with both arms. He felt her warm forehead against his neck and felt her shivering and trembling. "You're still cold?" he asked her and felt her nod. He leaned slightly forward, Cam still in his arms and pulled the covers up over both of them and rubbed softly over her back.

"Thank you," he heard her sniff against his shoulder.

"You're so very welcome," he replied softly and before he could stop himself placed a kiss on her forehead.

~*~

While Cam slept in his arms Hodgins tried to understand what was going on with him. Everyone at the Jeffersonian knew that she was sick and everyone knew that she had never been sick before, but no one had worried like him, not even Angela. What had made him come here, to her apartment and look after her? It had been strange for him working at the lab, knowing she wasn't there. Several times he had caught himself when he got up and wanted to walk into her office to run something by her or just tell her something and then remembered that she wasn't in. There had been moments when he had completely zoned out, his thoughts with Cam and how she was doing and he had to admit that he hadn't really got any work done. He had missed her; he had to admit to himself, which was ridiculous because he had only worked a few hours without her.  
And now here he was sitting on her bed and held her in his arms. She was feverish, sweaty, he had seen her throwing up several times and still he couldn't remember feeling that content in a long time.

"Oh my god," he said out loud when he realized what was going on with him. He had a crush on Cam. If he didn't have his arms wrapped around her he would have slapped his forehead. Why? He asked himself. Why did he have to fall for a colleague again? From his relationship with Angela he knew that it set the stage for disaster. And Cam wasn't even just his colleague, she was his boss; And his friend, most of all. He felt her flinch in his arms and kissed her forehead for the second time that day. He wasn't taking advantage of the situation, he reminded himself, and he was just caring for a friend who was sick. And it helped, she calmed down and he felt her relax against him.  
He stayed with her on the bed for as long as he could but at one point it was just getting too warm. Their bodies under the cover while she was still feverish radiated too much heat. He rested his cheek against her forehead for a moment and found her still burning up. Slowly he lifted the covers and placed her carefully on the bed and slipped out himself. He took the bowl with him to the bathroom and rinsed it out again and then wet several towels and took them to the bedroom with him. He placed one on her forehead and wiped her face with the edge of it before he pulled the covers back and slung one around her right leg and one around her left leg before he covered her again. She didn't react in any way and he hoped that she would be able to sleep for a while longer this time. Then he remembered the chicken and the other groceries that were still sitting on the hallway floor and he picked them up and carried them into the kitchen and stocked her fridge with the items.  
He started cooking the soup, feeling more comfortable in her kitchen now, after his initial awkwardness. His thoughts kept circling around the question; what he should do now that he was aware of the fact that he had a crush on Cam? Should he ask her out? Do nothing? Try to find out if she was interested in him as well? Sure they had been flirting, but wasn't everyone flirting with everyone at the lab? How often had she winked at him laughed at his jokes? Had he only imagined that the small touches had become more numerous recently? He had made a habit out of touching her arm lightly when he handed her something. She seemed to touch his shoulder now whenever he had his back to her and she wanted his attention. Was that normal in a totally friendly kind of way? He told himself to stop thinking about this because he knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. He would only start obsessing about it and then act strangely towards Cam. She was sick, and that was the only thing he should worry about at the moment. So in order to stop himself from thinking he turned on her TV and watched some sports while the soup was boiling. In between he went to the bedroom and checked on Cam but found her asleep every time. He adjusted the covers, changed the compresses, placed a hand on her forehead to see if the fever had lessened or simply looked at her for a moment before he left again and went back to ESPN.

~*~

After three hours Hodgins found Cam awake when he entered the bedroom again. She was still lying on her side but her eyes were open and she blinked sleepily into the darkness. She hadn't thrown up for nearly four hours now and that was improvement.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, how are you feeling?" he asked with a smile and sat down at the edge of her bed again.

"I don't feel like throwing up anymore," she said and had to cough. "Otherwise I feel disgusting," she croaked when she could speak again.

"I made some soup, do you wanna eat something?" he asked and took the damp towel off her forehead. She looked confused at him and seemed to realize for the first time that he had wrapped her in cool compresses.

"No soup," she said and her face wrinkled in disgust.

"I also bought some fruits. What about a banana?" he told her. "You need to eat something otherwise you can't take the meds," he added.

"Ok," she agreed and closed her eyes again when he left the room to fetch the banana. She opened them again when he came back into the room. He peeled the banana for her, handed it to her and sat down on the free side of her bed. He watched her while she slowly ate the fruit, seemed to fight with every bite she made. When she was done she kept looking at her hands and he was only too aware of the fact that she avoided looking at him.

"Everything ok?" he asked softly and placed a hand over hers.

"I… I don't know why you're here or why you stayed but thank you," she said quietly and he squeezed her hands gently.

"I came here because I was worried about you. After your call this morning and from what I see I think I was right to be worried. You're still running a fever," he replied and stroked over the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I know," she admitted.

"What else have you got?" he asked, now that she was able to reply without having to throw up.

"Ask me what I don't have that's quicker," she replied, her voice still so hoarse it was basically toneless. Hodgins smiled sympathetically at her and was relieved that she finally looked at him again.

"You need to drink something so the fever goes down. Tea?" he proposed and she shook her head. "What do you feel like drinking? Say the word and I get it," he told her encouragingly.

"I feel like some Coke," she admitted shyly.

"Lucky you, that's what I bought earlier when I was grocery shopping," he replied and for the first time she smiled back at him.

"Thank you," she said again and squeezed his hand weakly. He just smiled at her in reply and hurried off into the living room for the umpteenth time that day. He came back with a bottle of Coke and a glass, poured a bit of Coke into the glass and handed it to Cam who drank alone this time. "What do you think, should I bring over the TV? Or do you want to sleep some more?" he asked her then, knowing that talking to her wouldn't be possible. A few more words and she would most likely lose her voice completely.

"I'd like that," she agreed and watched him when he carried the TV into the room and set it up on her dresser. He plugged the cables in, turned on the TV and handed her the remote. Before he came back to the bed he got the next round of medication ready for her and hoped that her stomach would agree to it this time. She took the pills and the syrups without any comment and he finally got on the bed again, lying down on "his side".

"Here," she said suddenly and held the remote out to him. "You decide," she added with difficulty because of her nearly lost voice.

"Thank you," he grinned and took the remote, flipped through the channels and settled on some cartoons, hoping she would approve.  
When he looked over to her again to check her reaction he found that she had closed her eyes again.

"You ok?" he asked her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

"Mmmh, headache, back spasm, eyes hurt," she muttered and let him pull her against him and even snuggled up to him.

"The Tylenol shouldn't take too long to kick in," he said and massaged her neck softly with his left hand, while he watched the cartoons on the screen. He felt her relax more and more and when her head came to rest on his shoulder he knew that she was asleep again. This time he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her as close to him as possible. He kept massaging her neck or rubbing her back and when she moved closer to him she was nearly lying on top of him.  
Would they ever talk about this, he wondered. Would this bring them closer at all or would everything be back to normal once she was healthy again?

The doorbell brought him out of his musings this time and he cursed slightly when he felt Cam moving.

"Shh, go back to sleep, I'll get it," he whispered, pressed his lips against her hair and then got up carefully so he wouldn't wake her up completely. He closed the bedroom door behind him and hurried to the door so whoever it was wouldn't ring the bell again. When he opened the door, he found Booth, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hodgins, what are you doing here?" the agent asked surprised and made his way past Hodgins into the apartment.

"I checked on Cam," he shrugged and could tell by Booth's posture that he was going all alpha male on him.

"Yeah, Angela told me, but she said you left during lunch break and now it's nearly eight o' clock at night," he said, his hands on his hips and for whatever reason Booth didn't like the fact that Hodgins spend all this time in Cam's apartment. There were times when Booth intimidated Hodgins and there were times that the cause or the person their disagreement was about was too important to him and he wouldn't let Booth get to him. This time it was the later and he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked challengingly at him.

"Cam really isn't feeling well and she needs someone to look after her," he replied and held Booth's stare, refusing to look away.

"That's what I am here for now," the FBI agent said and looked curiously at Hodgins, wondering why he would be so protective.

"Cam's asleep," Hodgins said and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch to make it clear that he wasn't leaving.

"Then what are you doing when she's asleep?" Booth asked and acted like an overprotective big brother, what seriously started to piss off Hodgins.

"I was grocery shopping, made some chicken soup, made a quick trip to the pharmacy when she wouldn't stop throwing up, cooked tea and finally watched some TV, if that's ok with you," he replied unnerved.

"Watching TV? Where_ is_ the TV?" Booth asked and pointed with his chin in the direction of the empty TV rack.

"In the bedroom," replied and shook his head when Booth marched off in direction of said room. This guy would never change. "Don't wake her," he muttered but Booth didn't hear him. He had stepped into the bedroom meanwhile and found Cam sleeping in her bed. With one look he saw that she was really sick and she was so pale that it reminded him of the time when she had been in hospital after the poisoning. The TV was still on showing some old black and white cartoon, that didn't seem to disturb her. He saw the can of tea, the glass and the Coke on her night table along with several medicine bottles and boxes. He noticed the bowl on the floor beside the bed and the several damp towels next to it- Seemed like Hodgins had really taken good care of Cam. What didn't slip past Booth either was the outline on the other side of Cam's bed and he could tell that Hodgins had sat there, legs outstretched in front of him, remote resting beside his right hand. By the way Cam was lying now he could only guess that she had rested her head against Hodgins shoulder at least, but it was more likely that she had been snuggled up to him. Booth clenched his fists and tried to get his emotions under control. He wasn't jealous, it was just that Cam was sick and if Hodgins took advantage of that he would kill him. Quietly he closed the door behind him and made his way back into the living room. Hodgins wasn't sitting on the couch any longer but was now standing in the open kitchen in front of the stove stirring something.

"You want some soup?" Hodgins asked him without turning around.

"Sure," Booth shrugged and wrinkled his forehead.

"I haven't eaten anything since I got here, I'm starving man," Hodgins added and opened the cupboard looking for some plates.

"Last door on the right," Booth said, knowing exactly where he could find things in Cam's kitchen because he had been over at her place a lot. Not only when they had been a couple but most of all just as a friend when he had grabbed a drink with her or they had cooked together after work and just talked. Hodgins took out the plates, found the spoons without any problems and placed the items on the table that stood in between the kitchen and the living room area. He served the soup and stared eating without waiting for Booth, who was still watching him. Booth finally sat down and looked at the soup.

"You made that?" he asked a bit skeptical.

"Yeah, Angela told me her dad always made her chicken soup when I talked to her this afternoon," Hodgins shrugged.

"Tastes good," Booth nodded once he had tried it. "Cam liked it"? he asked and Hodgins could see that Booth was still not as relaxed as he tried to be.

"She didn't try it yet. All she would eat was a banana," he said.

"The whole day? Cam usually eats like a pig," Booth said worriedly and felt the need to clarify when Hodgins remained silent. "Not in a bad way, it's just… she eats a lot. Don't let her fool you," he said.

"I know, we usually spend the lunch break together," Hodgins nodded with a small smile, because that was something about Cam he was sure the agent didn't know.

"Oh really? I didn't know you spend that much time together at work," Booth said and exaggerated by making the lunch break "that much time".

"We do," Hodgins replied, completely ignoring Booth's exaggeration and certainly not correcting him.

"So you were here all day?" Booth asked next and Hodgins felt like he had been transferred to the interrogation room.

"Yeah, she was in a pretty bad shape when I got here," he replied truthfully.

"Why? What was wrong?" Booth asked and sounded worried this time.

"She was sitting on the bathroom floor and couldn't get up. She was throwing up all the time, was shaking like crazy and her fever was crazy high, I actually think it still is," he summed it up.

"How high?" Booth wanted to know.

"103.7" Hodgins replied.

"Oh man," Booth said clearly shocked. "I knew I should have come sooner when I heard that she had called in sick. But there was this case and I just couldn't.." he said apologetically and was clearly blaming himself.

"No big deal, I was there and I could get away from work so I looked after her," Hodgins shrugged.

"I can stay now, I just have to call Rebecca and tell her that I can't take Parker tonight," Booth offered but Hodgins held up one hand.

"You go and spend time with your son, I'll look after Cam. I don't have anywhere I need to be and I know what medication she's taken so far. She will probably sleep most of the time anyway," he replied.

"Ok, fine. But you take good care of her. She's a really good friend," Booth said and was back in his over-protective mode.

"I will. She's a really good friend of mine, too," Hodgins replied and the two men looked at each other until a look of understanding came to Booth's eyes, and Hodgins broke the eye contact when he noticed it, feeling exposed suddenly.

"You call me when you need help, ok?" Booth said softer, stood up and placed a hand on Hodgins shoulder for a second.

"I will," the entomologist nodded and was relieved when Booth left the apartment with a short wave and he was alone again. He took the plates and placed them in the sink before he walked back to the bedroom and found Cam awake again.

"Was that Booth's voice I heard?" she asked and rubbed her eyes with both hands, which made her look like a little kid and Hodgins had to smile.

"Yeah, he came to check on you," Hodgins nodded.

"He's gone?" she wanted to know.

"Yup, just left," he replied.

"Oh, thank god," Cam sighed and Hodgins had to laugh. "He's a bit overbearing sometimes," Cam added and adjusted the pillow behind her back.

"I heated the soup, do you want some now?" he asked her hopefully.

"Not really but I should eat something," she replied when she saw his blue eyes lighting up hopefully and he hurried off to get the soup before she could think about it again.

"While you eat I will drive over to my place and get some clothes and my toothbrush," he said randomly when he handed her the plate.

"You're not staying here tonight," she shook her head with as much energy as she could muster up.

"I won't leave you alone here as long as you're still feverish," he protested.

"I can take care of myself," she replied stubbornly.

"Yeah, I saw that today," he snorted but didn't win the staring contest that followed. "Eat your soup," he ordered when he looked away and sighed. "I'll make you a deal," he said then and had her attention, but she kept eating. "We take your temperature. If it's below 100 I'll leave, if it's more than 100 I'll stay," he said.

"101," she started bargaining with him.

"100.5 and that's my last offer," he ended the discussion before it could really begin and heard her muttering something about overbearing men in her life. He watched TV again while she ate her soup and was proud when he saw that she had eaten everything. She placed the plate on the night table when she was done, grabbed the thermometer and stuck it in her ear herself. He pretended to keep watching TV when really he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. When the thermometer beeped,she looked at it he saw her scrunch up her face.

"How much?" he asked without turning his head.

"102.3. Rats," she cursed and handed him the thermometer so he could check himself.

"Guess I should go and get my pjs and toothbrush," he smiled smugly and got off the bed. "You need anything before I leave?"

"Yeah, something to kill myself with," she muttered quietly what made him laugh. "No, thank you," she said louder and he left her apartment with a smile.

~*~

When he came back to the apartment Cam was already asleep again, the TV still on, and to his relief he saw that she had drank some more coke. He adjusted the covers once again and placed a hand on her forehead to see if the fever was down. She was still feverish and he traced the outlines of her face with his fingers, feeling her hot skin under his fingertips. He didn't want to wake her so he took his hand away after a moment and grabbed the duvet on the other side of the bed and switched off the TV before he left the bedroom and walked into the living room. He put the cover on the couch and went to the kitchen sink and filled a glass with tap water that he placed on the table beside the couch. The couch was narrow and a bit too hard for his taste but it would have to do for this one night. Although, if Cam wasn't better tomorrow he would have to spend another night on the couch which he would do gladly if it meant getting her healthy again.  
He didn't sleep well, listening in the dark for any signs that Cam wasn't ok. He heard her coughing several times and each time he got up and checked on her but always found her asleep. At one point he decided that maybe cold compresses wouldn't be such a bad idea and so he placed a damp towel on her forehead before he went back to the couch.

He awoke in the morning by a sound he could not place and was surprised when he opened his eyes and saw a light on in the kitchen. He turned fully around and found Cam standing there, her hair still damp from the shower she had obviously taken. She no longer wore the black T-shirt and the light blue shorts, but instead she was dressed in a black pencil skirt and a white blouse. He watched her for a moment, heard her coughing violently several times while she busied herself in the kitchen.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked her when he sat up suddenly and Cam jumped.

"You want to give me a heart attack?" she replied and placed one hand over her heart before she turned around. Her voice didn't sound much better than the day before but Hodgins had to admit that she had a bit more color.

"Why are you up and why are you dressed like this?" he asked, stood up and walked up to her.

"It's six thirty I have to get ready for work and you do, too," she shrugged and turned back around to the counter.

"Oh no, no, no, no! You're not going back to work today," he said and took the coffee can out of her hand and put it back down on the kitchen counter.

"Of course I am," she replied and crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

"You're still sick, you're eyes are still glassy, you're still feverish and you're still coughing," he listed.

"I'm fine," she replied but was proven wrong a second later when another coughing fit took control of her.

"I can see that," Hodgins snorted, placed his hands on her shoulders and led her to a nearby chair. "Sit," he said and held up one hand when she wanted to say something. Instead he filled the water-heater with water and turned it on and then poured a glass of water, which he handed her. Obediently she drank some water and when she put the empty glass on the table Hodgins crouched down in front of her so he could look her in the eyes. "You will go into the bedroom now and change back into some comfortable clothes. Then you will lie down, I don't care if you do that in the living room on the couch or in the bedroom. I will bring you breakfast in a few minutes and you will take your meds. I will go to work while you stay in bed and only get up when you absolutely have to. I will check on you during lunch break and then again tonight. And don't even try to protest or I'll lock you in here," he finished with a small smile.

"You are an infuriating man, Hodgins," Cam replied with a slight pout but got up and walked into her bedroom.

"I can live with that," he grinned when she was out of earshot.

~*~

"Angela, what are you doing here?" Cam asked surprised when the artist walked into her living room later that day. She hadn't knocked or rang the doorbell, so Hodgins must have given her the key.

"Brennan and Booth abducted Hodgins to analyze some particulates at a murder site and so he told me to look after you," Angela explained and took a seat in the armchair opposite the couch.

"I told him I don't need a babysitter," Cam rolled her eyes and had to cough again.

"That doesn't sound good. Have you seen a doctor?" Angela asked worriedly.

"I am a doctor and I am fine. I only stayed home again today because Hodgins was really annoying," she replied and tried to sound annoyed.

"He's really worried about you, you know. He was kind of freaked out yesterday when he saw you so sick," Angela replied honestly.

"He shouldn't have even have seen me like this and he shouldn't have stayed. It's not in his job description to look after his boss when she catches the flu," Cam sighed and took a sip of her tea so her voice wouldn't give in completely.

"You're not only his boss," Angela said with a smile and unpacked whatever she had in the bag she brought.

"Ok, but still, friends shouldn't have to see each other like that," Cam gave in a bit more.

"You know that Hodgins has a crush on you, don't you?" Angela asked bluntly and placed some fries and a sandwich in front of Cam that she had brought from the diner.

"Beg your pardon?" Cam asked clearly shocked and this time her voice was really toneless.

"Oh come on, Cam! Hodgins has been devouring you with his eyes for months. You two work together all the time and you spend every lunch break together, preferably alone. The whole lab has been gossiping for months about what is going on between the two of you,"  
Angela said like it was the most obvious thing.

"Please tell me you're kidding," Cam croaked, leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes.

"Oh my god, you really didn't know," Angela said surprised. "You're just as oblivious as Brennan, I can't believe it," she laughed then. Cam didn't react for a moment then she opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm sure you are mistaken," she told Angela then and sat up so she could eat something.

"I'm not. I know Hodgins and I know that I'm right. And although I don't know you as, let's say, intimately, I can still tell that there's hope for the poor guy. You wouldn't let him take care of you otherwise," she replied smartly and with a smile. Cam decided that she would just ignore that topic for now and bit into the sandwich.

"Hodgins said you like meatball, so I guess that's ok," Angela grinned, clearly teasing Cam now.

"I think your lunch break is nearly over, Angela. Thanks for the food and the visit," Cam said as pointedly as she could with a hoarse voice and Angela just laughed.

"Get better soon, we miss you at the lab. _All _of us," she laughed and got up.

"Bye, Angela," Cam said and waved back at the artist and then she was alone again. She took a deep breath and sunk into the pillow.  
What Angela told her had been a shock, although she had to admit to herself that she had kind of known already. She knew that they were spending a lot of time together; she knew that they were flirting occasionally and she knew that there had been these moments. Moments when their eyes met and neither could look away; when they had a drink together up on the couch in the Jeffersonian, just because neither of them wanted to go home yet. Moments when he touched her although he didn't have to, or moments when she let her hand linger a second longer than necessary. So far she had ignored it all and had told herself that it was nothing. However now that Angela pointed it out she knew that they couldn't go on like that. They either had to stop flirting or they had to act on it and see where it was going; and she was leaning heavily in the direction of the first option.

~*~

When Hodgins let himself into her apartment that evening, he already knew that it had been a mistake to send Angela. She had only hinted at what she and Cam had talked about, but he didn't like it. He knew that Cam was a very private person and he was sure that just the fact that Angela had tried to meddle wasn't good for him. Her not so subtle hints might work with Brennan, but they surely weren't the right things for Cam. He had stalled a bit before he had come over and had stopped at a supermarket again where he had bought some more groceries and a small present for her.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked shyly when he came into the living room.

"Better, thank you," she replied politely and he knew that he had been right and he would have to act or she would close up now.

"I brought some groceries because I wasn't sure what you wanted to eat," he said and looked at her intently and tried to establish eye contact.

"I'm not really hungry. Angela brought a sandwich and fries so I'm good," she said and looked down at her hands. The awkwardness was wrapping around them like duct tape and Hodgins knew that he had to be quick or they would be back to just friendly small talk and work related discussions. He had come prepared though and he hoped that the gesture would break the ice again.

"I brought you something else," he said with a small smile, placed the brown paper bag with the groceries on the table and sat down beside her on the edge of the couch while she sat up. "I saw this at the register when I paid and I thought, I don't know, it was just a spur of the moment thing," he rambled and finally revealed what he had been hiding behind his back the whole time.

"You brought me a Care Bear?" she smiled when he handed her the pink teddy bear and could feel her heart speed up at the gesture.

"It's actually the Take Care Bear who helps everyone to live in the best of health," he grinned and pointed to the heart and the star on the belly of the bear.

"I can't believe you know the Care Bears by their names," she laughed and looked up at him.

"It's my darkest secret, please don't tell anyone," he grinned and moved a bit closer to her.

"Thank you," she said touched, looked down at the bear and then hugged him suddenly. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, noticed that her fever seemed to be gone and that she smelled so good.

"You're welcome," he replied and kissed her cheek, just as he had done the day before. This time she was neither feverish nor asleep though and pulled slightly back when she felt his lips on her cheek. Their eyes locked and time seemed to stand still while they gazed at each other. Slowly their faces were nearing like they were drawn together by an invisible magnet.

"We shouldn't, you'll get sick," Cam whispered when their lips were nearly touching already.

"I'll borrow the bear," he replied just before his lips touched hers for the first time. He kissed her softly and then pulled back, all the time looking into her eyes. He brought his right hand up to her cheek and caressed it with his thumb. "The fever seems to be down," he said and placed another tender kiss on her lips.

"You took good care of me," she admitted and rested her forehead against his; silly smiles now visible on both their faces.

"And I plan to keep doing that," he replied and nuzzled his nose against hers.

"I'll go back to work tomorrow," she replied and pulled back from him with a grin.

"We'll see about that," he replied and winked at her. "Right now though, you're still here and you need to eat something. How about some ambrosias salad? Vitamins can't hurt," he said and he got his reply when she cupped his face with her hand and kissed him again. With a sigh he got off the couch but stopped her when she wanted to follow him. "You stay here and rest," he insisted.

"I rested all day," she whined and he just had to kiss her again. "I'll get lonely," she added when he pulled back.

"The bear will keep you company while I am three meters over there in the kitchen. Don't start crying because you miss me," he teased and she had to laugh what made her cough a second later and Hodgins rubbed gently over her back until she had calmed down.

"See, the bear can't do that," she said when she could speak again.

"The bear can make you feel better but he can't do _that_ either," he said and pecked her lips once more. "That's why I bought him."

"I hope you'll remember that once you get sick with whatever bug I caught," she replied with a smile and he kissed her forehead before he finally made it to the kitchen to make ambrosias salad. Not for his boss, not for his friend, but for his woman… and her personal not-so-pink Care Bear, himself.

**The end**


End file.
